It is bad enough when adults and children walk around with products sporting cutesy drawings with nasty remarks on them such as those promoted by the "It's Happy Bunny" genre. It's appalling when our state promotes this nastiness in a campaign aimed at children.

 Decades of "The Simpsons" and dozens of other vulgar shows have warped our entire sense of respect and dignity. What kind of message are we sending to preschoolers who see the "sweet bunny" and learn that it is spouting phrases like, "despising you makes me all warm inside," or "you're dumb and I like it." Adults understand satire although some adults, like myself, find this latest flood of garbage especially offensive. Children, especially younger children, do not. Any child psychologist will tell you young children see the world in black and white, they can't understand satire.

 "Happy Bunny" creator Jim Benton told the Houston Post it took a while for the bunny to catch on because "nobody got the joke." (Houston Post Oct. 20, 2006) It was only when the bunny was marketed to teens that it caught on. How sad. "You have to know right from wrong to get it," Benton says. He was proud of the fact that his nasty bunny was being used by teachers as

rewards. I do know right from wrong, Mr. Benton. I also know nothing cuts deeper into a child than nasty words. "Hi, loser" and "I hear the other ugly people calling you" are not funny to an unpopular 10-year-old. What kind of message does "I hate everything" or "cute but psycho" (the latter showing a bunny holding a knife) send? The same bunny is now the latest "celebrity" to join the anti-drug campaign in Texas.

 The Partnership for a Drug-Free Texas Director Chris Sharman said the organization tries to "create messages that are credible... with kids." (Houston Post, Oct. 20, 2006) "Drugs. The perfect choice for kids who want to be stupid but weren't born that way."

 Nice message. Ridicule and meanness always makes people feel better. Not. Consider some of the other "bunny" messages: "I hate you so bad," or "me want hurt you."

 Some kids try drugs to be reckless. Most are pressured into them by peers. Some, probably an increasing number, are looking for an escape from a world full of pain. Using nasty slogans in association with a pop figure noted for its vulgar, rude "humor" does nothing to reach any of those kids.

 If parents and teachers would trash this modern "attitude" and show love, respect and genuine understanding to their kids a large chunk of the problem would go away without the need for buttons or stickers of any kind. Cutesy cartoons calling kids morons or saying "you suck big time" hardly qualifies. Many of our kids are in big trouble. "Happy Bunny" meanness is the last thing they need. Parents, teachers and school districts should reject this year's PDFT promotion.

 They should write PDFT at drugfreetexas@sherrymatthews.com and voice their disapproval. Every individual who actually thinks this campaign is a good idea should create one more poster with their own picture on it and the "Happy Bunny" slogan "it worries me how dumb you are."

H.J. Ted Gresham

Lufkin